The soul of a room…

Photo credit Flickr user Erin Williamson/ Creative Commons

“I must have books everywhere. They’re the soul of a room — they reveal the taste, the interests, and the secrets of whoever lives there.”

— Fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg

Frank Lloyd Wright Road Trip, Midwest Edition

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin in Spring Green, WI. (Creative Commons)

We’re planning a Frank Lloyd Wright architecture road trip through the Midwest! Last year we took a day trip to Fallingwater from D.C. and had a great time. This year, since we’re headquartered in Minnesota, we’re closer to the majority of his work, in Illinois and Wisconsin.

FLW designed Unity Temple sanctuary, Oak Park, IL. (Creative Commons)

Many sites are closed for tourism from October through May, so our trip will be in the spring. Until then I’ll be planning and reading.

FLW designed Parker House in Oak Park, IL. (Creative Commons).

Here are the most pertinent links about FLW sites and tours in the Midwest, organized geographically. Do you have any to add? Let me know in the comments!

Chicago, IL Area

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May: Wright Plus, The Great American Housewalk, Chicago, IL. http://www.flwright.org/wrightplus

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October: Open House Chicago. http://openhousechicago.org/

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Chicago Architecture Foundation, events page. https://www.architecture.org/experience-caf/programs-events/

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Oak Park IL self-guided walking tour created by Walk Across Illinois. Includes FLW home, Ernest Hemingway boyhood home and museum, and FLW designed Unity Temple. 2.75 miles total walking. http://walkacrossillinois.org/pdf/HistoricOakPark.pdf

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Unity Temple website with virtual tour. http://www.oprf.com/unity/

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Unity Temple Restoration Foundation. http://www.utrf.org/

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Visit Oak Park website with additional tourist information. http://visitoakpark.com/

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Frank Lloyd Wright Trust. Information about his buildings in Chicago:. http://www.flwright.org/tours

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Enjoy Illinois. Further tourist information for the state. http://www.enjoyillinois.com/

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Spring Green, WI/ Madison, WI

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Taliesin Preservation, Inc. http://www.taliesinpreservation.org/

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Wright in Wisconsin. http://www.wrightinwisconsin.org/

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SpringGreen.com. Further tourist information about Spring Green. http://www.springgreen.com/

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Monona Terrace Tours. http://www.mononaterrace.com/frank-lloyd-wrights/guided-tours

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Springfield, OH

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Westcott House: http://www.westcotthouse.org/tour/directions#load

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FLW General Reference

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Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy. http://www.savewright.org/index.php?page=8

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Sometimes, Less is More

“Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.” — William Morris

Built-ins are characteristic of the Arts & Crafts Movement and reduce the need for additional furniture. Shown here before decoration, shortly after we moved in.

One thing I love about the Arts & Crafts style of our house is that no additional decoration is needed apart from the craftsmanship itself. In fact, there is very little space for ornamental decoration in our living room except for one window ledge above each built-in bookshelf. The other wall space contains either windows, French doors, or a fireplace and mantel.

Have you ever walked into a post-war big box apartment and thought, “What am I going to do with all this empty, undivided space and these empty, undivided walls?” I have, because that’s all I could afford my first year out of college in D.C. Never again! Find an apartment or house with good bones, and sometimes, less is more.

Beginnings

We bought a house! Yes, it surprised us, too. I never in my wildest dreams thought I’d visit Minnesota, let alone purchase a house there. But, we’re here temporarily for work, and, given that winter lasts over half the year, thought we’d need a warm place to stay.

Our neighborhood is an eclectic mix of historic houses built from the 1890s through the 1920s, a time when Duluth boasted the most millionaires per capita of any city in the U.S. due to growth in shipping and the iron ore trade. Architectural styles include Tudor, Victorian, Italianate, Arts & Crafts, and Colonial.

We had about a month’s notice before our four day house hunting trip, so I did a lot of research online prior to our visit. The short notice was compounded by a dramatic but necessary shift in our thinking. We saw ourselves happily as East Coast urban apartment dwellers for the foreseeable future, but unfortunately our preferred city life is not exactly prevalent in Minnesota. The rental market is also basically non-existent, so we had one viable option left: buy a house!

It was important to me to find a house that I loved. We found the listing online a week or two before our visit, and it definitely stood out as our top pick within our budget. When we visited, I had a feeling as soon as we walked in that this was the house for us. (Ironically, we later learned that the house had been custom built in 1913 by a 30-year-old couple from the East Coast). We made an offer the same day and embarked on an a whirlwind of home inspections, mortgage rates, and a new vocabulary not only of finance but also of design.

There’s a bit of ongoing debate whether our house is Italianate or Arts & Crafts (more on that later), but the high level of craftsmanship and attention to detail throughout the house make it truly a one-of-a-kind treasure. We’re excited to share more about our house and our ongoing education in architecture and design in the coming year!